Strong Second Half Pushes Men's Basketball Past Framingham State

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Four players scored in double figures, including sophomore Noah Bice (Woodacre, Calif.) who tallied 13 points as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team (2-0) defeated Framingham State (0-2), 68-59, in non-conference action Tuesday night.

THE BASICS:
LEADING SCORERS:  Noah Bice, 13; Stephen Azums, 11; Trey Carrier, 10; Conor Rubenskas, 10
LEADING REBOUNDER:  Stephen Azums, 11
ASSIST LEADERS:  Tyler Lennon, 2; Kyle Henseler, 2; Jack Schaake, 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Framingham State took a 9-4 lead with 17:08 to play after a pair of free throws from junior Trevor Manyak (Bolton, Mass.). After over four minutes of neither team scoring, Wentworth cut the lead to one with a basket from junior Mayo Aina (Providence, R.I.) and two free throws from freshman Conor Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.). The Rams extended their lead to six (14-8) on a layup from junior Colin Myers (Framingham, Mass.) with 10:36 remaining.
• The Leopards used three pointers from Rubenskas and junior Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) to even the game at 14-all and a layup from Aina tied the game at 20-all with just under six minutes left. Framingham State scored five quick points to push its lead to five, however, Bice and junior Tyler Lennon (Atkinson, N.H.) each had four points as part of an 8-0 run which gave the Black & Gold a 28-25 lead with 1:42 left in the half. Junior Jordan Bellitti (Cambridge, Mass.) pulled the hosts within one before freshman Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) scored at the other end to give Wentworth a 30-27 lead at the break.
• Manyak converted a layup 3:25 into the second half as the Rams scored six of the first eight points of the frame and took a 33-32 lead. Wentworth countered by scoring the next eight points, capped off by a three from Bice, to take a 40-33 lead with 14:15 left. After Framingham State scored the next four points, Wentworth used an 11-2 run to take a 53-40 lead on a Rubenskas layup with 5:39 left and the Leopards' lead swelled to as many as 15 late after senior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) made a layup.
• Azums recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Framingham State was led by sophomore Tajahn Joyner (Amherst, Mass.), who scored a game-high 17 points.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight marked the 10th meeting in series history with the Leopards evening the series at 5-all. Wentworth has now won two of the last three meetings; both on the road

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth heads to Middlebury, Vt., for the Middlebury Tip-Off Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Leopards will play SUNY-Canton on Friday at 6:00 p.m.

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